Page 65 of Scarred Sins
Things are bound to get bloody, messy, and twisted quickly, and time isn’t in our favor.
Though, now I’m motivated to work harder than ever.
Arlo’s family is willing to help me, and he is a professional. I’ll make sure their efforts and time spent on me aren’t in vain – it can’t be in vain. It will be the toughest battle of my life, and if I lose it, I’ll lose Arlo in the process. I’ll never let that happen.
The man who took the brightest days of my life, the man who ruined my childhood – I’ll come for him. When I saw him in the park, I froze in fear. That was the last time he had that much power over me; never again.
I won’t fail Arlo.
Despite the odds being in Simmons’ favor, the tables will turn. A public execution is something I’ve been dreaming of when it comes to the bastard, and no matter if I end up behind the bars again, I’ll make sure the world can see how he’ll die.
And he’ll die by my hands.
The mere thought of that brings a wonderful shiver down my spine. Anticipation, excitement, and exhilaration.
I’m taking my life back.
Arlo leads me downstairs, and I’m nervous. From across the house, I can hear laughter and talking, and a very comfortable atmosphere is all around. It’s lively, chatty, and pleasing to the ears, despite it being a little too noisy.
“Arlo,’’ I tried yanking my hand back from him, but he only tightened his grip. “What if they don’t like me?”
“Nonsense. Only a fool wouldn’t like you,’’ he rubs circles on the back of my palm with his thumb, trying to soothe my anxiety. “Although, I’d prefer if Cove actually disliked you. He can be a menace when he wants.’’
I snort. “I can tell.’’
Falling into step next to him, I decide there’s no one to hide from. These people will be the biggest allies I could get, and I need to get comfortable around them, at least enough to hold a decent conversation. His mother, who seeks revenge for her sister, and his father, who loves his wife beyond words and would do anything to ensure her revenge.
We enter the kitchen, and the conversation immediately dies out.
His mother is one hell of a woman. She’s taller than me by a few inches, with gorgeous brown hair and eyes. One of the prettiest women I’ve ever seen, and she’s definitely aging like fine wine. Not a single wrinkle on her face, not a single imperfection.
My hands start trembling a little, and as if she could sense the sudden anxiety, she approaches me with a soft smile.
“You must be Blair,’’ her voice is smooth, her smile reaching her eyes. Arlo shares her smile, for sure.
“It’s nice to meet you.’’ I return the smile, praying it doesn’t look like a grimace instead.
She extends her hand for me to shake, and I take hers in mine. She pulls me into a hug, the softness of her body catching me by surprise. The hug lasts a few seconds more than necessary, but I don’t comment on it. It wasn’t that bad.
“I’m Noelle,’’ she smiles as she distances herself a little. “You can just call me Noah.’’
“Alright.’’
“Come,’’ she says, pushing Arlo out of the way and leading me further into the kitchen. “I cooked a lot of different things. Arlo told me your favorites.’’
I snort to myself. Of course he told her my favorite meals.
Peeking over her shoulder, I see Hudson and Cove already sitting at the dinner table, talking in hushed voices. Well, Hudson’s doing most of the talking, while Cove’s blinking and nodding his head from time to time.
There’s a girl. She looks to be around sixteen and a spitting image of Hudson. She has her mother’s hair, though, falling down her shoulders. She’s mumbling something under her breath, setting the table, though grumpily.
The amount of food at the table catches me off guard. There are too many meals, from soups and salads to cookies and meat. I don’t think I’ve ever seen that much food for a single meal, and I worked in a restaurant.
Arlo returns to my side after a brief, hushed conversation with Noah and leads me to an empty chair. Hudson and Noelle are sitting on the head of the table, on each side, with Arlo’s sister and Cove sitting across from us.
The first couple of minutes are spent in silence.
Hudson’s eyes are on his wife only, not moving once since she sat down. Something in that longing, loving gaze makes me look away. As if the moment is too intimate for me to intrude.
